Mr. Speaker, I take this opportunity to congratulate George Webster, a potato producer from Middleton, P.E.I., for being the first recipient of the Canadian agrifood award of excellence for environmental stewardship.
George and his brother in co-operation with a local environmental group opened the Maple Plains agro-environmental demonstration site in August 2000 on their respective family farms. The farm is a working potato operation that features soil conservation structures, enhanced wetlands, grassed waterways with filtering systems and enhanced riparian zones.
The work George has undertaken demonstrates that farming in an environmentally responsible manner can integrate successfully into the natural ecosystem. Having met with George this past weekend, he is not stopping there. He is working with farmers and others toward an Atlantic sustainable resource centre to build on ideas for the future. We congratulate George and the Webster family.